Water-feed control for humidifiers



Oct, 1,1929. E. A. SPAULDING WATER FEED CONTROL FOR HUMIDIFIERS 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Dec. 10, 1.928

Y [amnion Ew geneifi. Spau'ldirwu Patented Oct. 1, 1929 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE EUGENE A. SPAULDING, OF PORTLAND, MAINE, ASSIGNOR TO SOUTHWORTH MACHINE COMPANY, OF PORTLAND, MAINE WATER-FEED CONTROL FOR HUMIDIIE'IERS Application filed December 10, 1928. Serial 1E0. 325,095.

In the work rooms of well equipped printing establishments, in the weaving rooms of textile mills, in many of the larger auditoriums of the country and in other situations which might be mentioned, it has been found very advantageous,'during periods of'occupancy of these interiors to increase the humidity of the air beyond or to a higher degree than that which obtains under natural conditions.

To effect this increase of moisture content of the air resort must be had in most cases to artificial humidification, and for this urpose various types of apparatus have, rom time to time been devised and put into service.

To satisfactorily operate any type of humidifier, however, it is essential that a practical and efficient mechanism be employed to regulate and control the amount of water fed to it, so that, once the desired degree of humidity of the, air in, the room has been reached, further delivery of the liquid to the, humidifying apparatus shall continue in such a quantity only as isrequired to maintain a predetermined and constant state of humidity,any excess in or anything short r of this amount being detrimental tosuccessful performance.

My present invention which deals with feed-water control devices as applied to humidifying'apparatus in general, but which is particularly adapted to serve withthe humidifier, an application for a patent on which I have filed concurrently with this instant one, has as'one of its principal objects the capacity to respond quickly and actively to any appreciable change 1n atmospherical conditions with respect to humidity.

A control device' lacking this characteristic of prompt action of its regulatory elements cannot qualify as a successful agency by which to maintain an even percentage of moisture in theair, as delay 1n opening or closing the water-admission valve causesfluctuations in humidity conditions and deleteriously affects the handling of material in certain occupational lines,as for instance,

-paper in the printing art.

To accomplish this indispensable object I pertaining to expeditious performance I provide in my control device a slim cord made of any hygrometrically responsive material, as cat or sheep gut, preferably locating the cord in the path of the current of air projected from the fan-wheel of the humidifier,

as this greatly increases the rapidity with which the cord acts, either to expand or contract according to whether there is a tendency of the humidity to rise or fall.

One end of this cord I attach to a weighted lever which is connected to and serves as means by which to actuate the water-admission valve'which may rise to but no further than a limiting stop indicating the full vaporizing capacity of the humidifier. The

other end of the cord is secured to a plunger normally held in a fixed position by a Weight of larger proportions than the one on the valve lever but susceptible of upward'yieldability on certain occasions. The contraction of the cord raises the valve, and when the cord expands, the valve may descend by gravity toward its seat.

A particular object'of the foregoing arrangement is that, should the cord break or become unduly elongated, the valve automatically closes, preventing the flooding of the humidifier with consequent damage to stock or machinery in the room.

And contra-wise, should conditions 'prevail which might otherwise cause an excessive contractional strain to be put on the cord ,as for instance, by diminution or absolute stoppage of the water supply, then, in this contingency the weighted plunger will yield to the abnormal pull on the cord and by this relief prevent elongation therein.

Other objects reslde in the simplified construction, the absence of all sprin s or other easily. disorderedparaphernalia, t e convenience with which the control may be set toestablish any desired degree of humidity in the interior, and the novel combination and relation of parts whichwill be more fully set forth as the description proceeds.

I have illustrated the preferredembodiment of my invention in the accompanying drawings in which,

E5 1 i 1 19 elevation Of a 'hunudlfier with my control device mounted thereon,- certain portions of the figure being broken y;

Fig. 2 is a transverse sectional elevation of the humidifier taken on line 22, Fig. 1, showing the control parts in their relation thereto;

Fig. 3 is a side elevation of the tank, valve and parts immediatel connected therewith,- the figure being partly in section;

Fig. 4 is a sectional elevation taken on line 44, Fig. 3; ii

Fig. 5 is a sectional elevation through the weighted plunger, and

Fig. 6 is an alternative method of valve actuation.

.Like parts carry similar reference characters throughout all views.

In my drawings I show a humidifier constructed on lines and incorporating principles identical with those embodied in the one disclosed in my co-pending application for humidifiers, hereinbefore referred to, and this particular type'has been chosen simply and solely for the purpose of supplying a medium in connection with whiohI am enabled to illustrate and describe in a comprehensive manner the structural and operative features of the control mechanism involved in my present invention,--which, obviously is susceptible of modifications which will adapt it for 'use with various other types of humidifying apparatus.

Before proceedin with a description of my control device, will brieflyoutline the essential features of the humidifier shovn.

' This humidifier, which is of the centrifugal type, comprises a casing A, enclosing a revoluble disc B, a frame C, and another casing D within which rotates the fan-wheel E. It will be observed that an annular space S provides a forwardly disposed outlet from the casing D through which a projected current of air from the fan-wheel may pass.

Referring to Figs. 1 and 2, 1 is the humidifier drip-pan to which is attached the water tank 2 of my control device. This tank has a water admission pipe connection at 3, a drain plug at 4 and a flange 5 between which and the flange 6 of the superstructure 7 a packed joint is made.

A strainer consisting of a fine mesh gauze 8 I may be employed in cases where the water used is not free from sediment or other foreign matter.

Centrally disposed on the lower end of the super-structure 7 is a valve, seat 9, operable in which is a valve 10. The valve spindle 10' extends upwardly through the guide 11 and at its'upper end makes screw threaded engagement-with the yoked end portion 12.

Clamped between the two portions, 10' and 12, is a flexible diaphragm 13, the outer margins of which are secured to the super-structure 7 by the cap 14. This diaphragm prinalong the lever.

cipally serves as a convenient means to prevent escape of water from the chamber 15 by way of the valve spindle opening 12, but further. functions to partially counterbalance the upward pressure of the water in the chamber 16 against the valve 10. Opening out of the chamber 15 is the water delivery pipe 17 which extends, through an opening in the side of the casing A of the humidifier to the revoluble disc B.

Fulcrumed on a bracket 18, at 19, is a lever 20, on the free end of which is a'weight 21. It will be understood that, while this weight is shownintegral with the lever, I may elect to disassociate the frolner from the latter and provide for varying the counter-weight pressure on the valve by locating the weight at different positions, inwardly or outwardly The yoked spindle end 12 is pivotally connected to the lever at 22.

On the upper side of the lever 20, at 23, is fixedly secured one end of a cord 24. This cord may be made of any one of several materials which readily expand or contract, end-wise, when subjected to varying conditions of moist air, but preferably, I employ for this purpose cator sheep gut, as I find this material is highly sensitive and responsive, hygrometrically, and has superior strength and wearing qualities.

Sheave wheels 25 are secured to the frame C at intervals around the periphery of the smaller end of the casing A and the cord 24 reeved over them so that it lies directly in the path of the air blast from the fan-wheel E.

'This direct impingement of the moving air on the cord greatly increases the rapidity with which it either. shrinks or swells, as when the moisture content of the air in the room decreases, this dryer air will cause the cord to shorten and thus open the valve to ad mit more water to the humidifier ;-conversely,

when the moisture increases the cord elongates and allows the valve to move toward its seat, reducing the quantity of water delivered.

Secured to the casing A or to the frame C is a bracket 26 within the bore 26 of which is located a plunger 27 having on its upper end a shoulder 27 which normally rests on the top of the bracket. I

Within the bore 28 of the plunger is a stud 29, the relatively short length central portion, 29, fitting the bore, and on either side of this portion, extended and reduced threaded bolt ends, each adapted to receive a thumb nut 30 with interposed washers 31 abutting, respectively, on each end of the plunger 27 It is obvious that by this construction the stud 29 may be positioned in various axial locations in and relative to the plunger. I

On the lower end of the stud 29 is a weight 31 relatively heavier than the weight on the valve lever, and on the upper end of the stud is a cap 32 by means of which the other end of the cord 24 is secured to the-stud.

My feed-water control device is operated as follows: Water from any convenient source, as a street main, may be admitted, through the "pipe connection 3, to the water tank 2 after first being reduced in pressure by a reducing valve (not shown) placed on the main pipe line,t-his tank pressure being, predeter-' mined and in any event insulficient to raise the valve from its seat against the oppositely applied force of the diaphragm 13 and down- Wardly acting pressure of the lever20 and weight 21.

A preliminary adjustment is made by ac tuating the nuts 30 and placing the cord un'- der a slight tension by lifting the valve just ofi' its seat. The fan-wheel of the humidifier is now. set in motion, and after openin the admission valve 33 the vaporizing of the water begins.

The action of the comparatively dry air at this stage of operations blasted on to the cord by the fan-wheel tends to slightly shorten it and a further opening ofthe valve takes place; but until an appreciable rise in humidity condition occurs very little change in the cord may be observed. When,'however-, the humidity does rise, the cord will lengthen, allowing the valve to recede toward its seat.

I If it appears that insufficient water is being admitted to the humidifier, furtheradjustments of the ,nuts 30 are made, until finall the desired condition of the air is procure The control elements will from this time on handle the situation automatically,the slightest tendency toward dehumidification being accompanied by a shortening of the cord and asupercharging of the air with moistureby a lengthening ofit. The regu- 1 lation is so close that the movement of the valve toward br from its seat is hardly perceptible.

'The foregoing recitalof the operation of the device does not take into consideration the fact that emergencies present themselves at times in most automatic apparatuses, requiring certain remedial measures. So in the present instance, thepossibility of the difficulties arising has been anticipated and safeguards applied.

For instance, assume that the attendant, through ignorance or carelessness, neglects to stop the rotation of the fan-wheel after closing the water admission valve 33. The

air in the room will soon lose most of its moisture and the dryer air blasted on to the cord shrinks it abnormally, causing it to lift the valve lever 20 until the latter impinges on the stop-screw 34 which limits the upward movement of the valve.

Now if the opposite end of the cord was unyieldingly secured against upward movepacity to return to normal, and to oviate this I provide yieldability to the element to which this end of the cord is attached, so that after a certain amount of tension on the cord has been reached this element may rise with the cord and save the latter from deformation by excessive stretching.

Again, suppose the cord should break or become detached from its fastenings. The valve, in this instance, would simply fall to its seat, closing ofi furtheradmission of water to the humidifier. I

It will be noted by observation of the drawings that the weight 31' is heavier than the weight, 21, and it is so for this reason: The effective down pressure onithe valve must, of course, be greater than the water pressure thereon tending to raise it,' so that in an emergency the valve would close.

But in operation, the normal contracting of the cord must raise the weighted valve lever, and to do this the opposite end of the cord must be anchored to some element of greater resistance to upward movement than is possessed by the valve lever. Therefore, in practice Imake the weight 31 of such a size as will resist, say, an upward pull of six pounds, and the combined heft of the lever siderable advantage to locate the cord 24.

so that it is directly in the current of air .ad-

'vancing from the fan-wheel, it is possible and feasible to arrange it otherwise,--so long as it is directly exposed to the average conditioned air in the room.

Fig. 6 illustrates an alternate method of operating the water delivery valve. In this 20 and weight 21 suflicient to provide an ef- 'fective down pressure, taking into account instance the water under pressure in the chamber 16 tends to close the valve instead of,

as is the case in the former construction,

open it.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is 1. A water-feed control for humidifiers,

comprising a water supply tank, a water admission valve, a water discharge valve on said tank, a lever pivoted on said tank and 0perable to open and close said discharge valve, a stop adapted to limit the upward movement of said lever, a hygrometrically responsive cord, one end of which is secured to said lever, and means to anchor the other end .of said cord Whereby under normal operating conditions said anchorage is fixed, but under abnormal conditions-as when said lever engages said stop and further contraction of said cord takes place,-said anchoring means may yield to the upward pull of said cord.

2. A water-feed control comprising in combination with a humidifier having a fanwheel, a Water supply tank, a valve adapted to regulate the delivery of water, under pressure,- from said tank into said humidifier, a lever pivotally secured to said valve, a Weight on said lever, a hygrometrically responsive cord, one end of which. is attached to said lever, said cord partially surrounding said humidifier and located in the path of the air current projected from said fanwheel, and a plunger to which the other end of said cord is attached, mounted on said humidifier, said plunger being yieldable in a direction toward said cord and fixed with respect to movement therefrom.

3. In a' device of the character described adaptable for use with a humidifier hav ing a fan-wheel and a vaporizing chamber, comprising in combination, a water supply tank, a valve adapted to control the outgo of water, under pressure, from said tank into said humidifier, a weighted lever pivotally secured to the spindle of said valve and fulcrumed outwardly ofvthe pivotal point thereof and operable to close said valve, a hygrometrically responsive cord secured at one end to said lever and extending partially around said humidifier, sheaves on said humidifier adapted to carry said cord and locate it rearwardly of said vaporizing chamber and in the path of the air current projected by said fan-wheel, and means to anchor the other end of said cord by an upwardly yielding, downwardly non-yielding element of greatercapacity to resist and overcome upward tension of said cord than is possessed by the said weighteddcver.

4,,A water-feed control for humidifiers comprising a water tank, a valve for admitting water to said tank, a valve to control the discharge of water from said tank into said humidifier, a hygrometrically responsive element adapted to open said discharge valve, tensionally, when said element contracts, means/operable to close said valve, when said element expands, a stop screw to variably limit the upward movement of said lever and establish a predetermined maximum amplitude of opening of said valve,

anchoring means for one end of said element" normally fixed with respect to movement in a direction away from said element, and means whereby when said valve is fully opened, said anchoring means may yield upon further contraction of said element.

5. A water-feed control for humidifiers, comprising a water supply tank, -a valve adapted to admit or to exclude water to and from, respectively, said water supply tank, a water discharge valve on said tank, a' lever pivoted on said tank and operable to open and close said discharge valve, a stop adapted to limit the vertical movement of said valve,

the normal tension of the cord as determined by the potency of the downward pull thereon at the lever end, and means to vary, vertically, the point of connection of said cord to said anchoring means whereby in action,

Said valve may reciprocate in various differe'nt extremes of up and down movements relative to and as spaced from the seat of the said discharge valve.

6. A Water-feed control adaptable for use with a humidifier having means whereby air may be blasted therethrough and therearound, comprising in combination a water supply tank, a water admission valve on said tank, a valve adapted to control the discharge of water, under. pressure, from said supply tank into said hum'idifier, means to close said discharge valveagainst the pressure of the water in said tank, a cord highly' susceptible of change in length when subjected to the influence of variations in humidity condition of the atmosphere, one end of said cord being secured to said valve closing means, a plurality of supporting members adapted to receive and locate said cord directly in the path of the air blasted around said humidifier, a bracket, having a bore therein, secured on said humidifier, a plunger. having a bore therein, reciprocably mounted in the bore of said bracket, a shouldered portion on the upper end of said plunger adapter to normally hold the latter against downward movement within said 

